Wednesday, 7 December 2011

Book Review: The Freelance Writer's Handbook by Andrew Croft

I started reading this book whilst studying the non-fiction part of my Writer's Bureau coursework, then when I changed over to the fiction part I stopped reading it - hence it's taken me nearly all year to finish it!

It is a very useful book, and it will remain on my bookshelf for reference, and maybe even one day a re-read. It gives you a good perspective on all angles of freelance writing. For me the end of this book gave me more hope than at the beginning. (I think I found the whole idea of becoming a freelance writer daunting). It talks of not making money initially, it being a slow process, but you get there in the end, verifying something a friend said to me about increasing your 'back catalogue'.

Although it does talk about the 'riches' of writing, it keeps you down on earth at how hard it is to make it.

For me, I would very much like to make a small living from writing, with what time I have due to having two young children, and then, as the kids leave the nest, hopefully I will have built up enough of a career it will carry me forward as my full time job - so I need not work for anyone in a dead end job ever again!

This is the dream. I'm hoping Andrew Crofts advice helps me live it.

It really does emphasis that non-fiction articles/features etc. are the way to make the bread and butter whilst you work on your novel in the background. I really am going to have to organise myself better... in 2012 now.

Bio

Mum to two boys by day, a romance writer by night. I write contemporary romance, published by HarperImpulse.

When I'm not writing, I enjoy baking cakes and like to put a good home
cooked meal on the table every evening (occasionally I cheat - I am
human!) whether the kids like it or not. I believe in everything in moderation. And I run - it helps
breed the (plot) bunnies.